Foust makes LV and GRC his

Category: GRC, News Posted 31.10.12 12:20 by Eddi Laumanns

European Rallycross Championship regular Tanner Foust bagged the final round of the 2012 Global RallyCross Championship in Las Vegas and, thereby, his second consecutive GRC title.

Tanner Foust has no European Rallycross title yet, but is the undisputed master of American style RallyCross. After finishing the 2010 RallyCar NJMP Rallycross series as the highest placed driver, but without official title and winning the 2011 US Rallycross Championship as well as the GRC title of last year, it was only yesterday that he also won the 2012 GRC series by claiming another victory in the final round at the Las Vegas Convention Center grounds.

After a late season rules change that allowed the competitors to drop one score from the six events counting for the championship it all came down to a title fight between point standings leader Tanner Foust and his runner-up Brian Deegan. While Foust made it by good results from the qualifying runs straight into the Final his challenger needed the so-called Last Chance Qualifier detour to reach a place on the starting grid for the last race of the season. However, although making his way up to a superb second place Deegan was not able to catch Foust. When the chequered flag was dropped for the last time it was that man Tanner Foust (Ford Fiesta Mk7) winning event and title from OMSE teammate Brian Deegan (Ford Fiesta Mk7) while Kiwi Rhys Millen drove his Hyundai Veloster to a fine third place here.

Fourth place was picked by Swede Samuel Hübinette (Saab 9-3), fifth by Finn Toomas Heikkinen (Ford Fiesta Mk7), sixth by Dave Mirra (Subaru Impreza GR), seventh by his teammate “Bucky” Lasek (Subaru Impreza GR) and Bryce Menzies (Dodge Dart) became eighth overall. Reigning European Rallycross Champion Timur Timerzyanov (Ford Fiesta Mk7) finished his trip from Tatarstan in Russia to the USA (to replace Marcus Grönholm for sponsor Best Buy) by making it to ninth place overall after his retirement from the second Final attempt due to transmission problems. Pole setter Ken Block ended on a poor tenth place, after his Ford Fiesta Mk7 combusted in the first attempt of the Final, subsequently forcing the qualification dominator into retirement.